What's Best, Public Speaking Courses or Coaching?
Chris Delaney
5 min read
What you’ll learn:
- Choosing between a course or coaching.
- Finding the right public speaking training.
- The training options we have at Project Charisma.
Choosing the right training.
Looking to improve your communication confidence? You’ll find two main options widely available: group public speaking courses, or personal 1-2-1 coaching.
Before deciding which option is right for you, you’ll want to make sure you undertand both in order to make an informed choice.
In this article, we’ll give you an unbiased roundup of the pro’s and con’s of each option.
So, what’s better…
A public speaking course, or personal coaching?
Let’s dig in!
Your confidence, experience and goals.
Depending on your level of confidence, experience and goals with public speaking, you’ll find one option is likely more appropriate.
Broadly speaking, attending a public speaking course or is more appropriate for beginner/inermediate speakers. That’s because a group course allows you to gain experience speaking within a safe environment, developing your skills, and learning alongside others.
In contrast, if you’re a more experienced speaker, you may get more benefit from 1-2-1 coaching. As this the focused time with a coach will enable you to further refine your unique speaking style, and prepare for an important speech, pitch or presentation.
Here’s a quick round-up of the different advantages:
Public Speaking Courses
- Intensive training over a short period, usually consisting a half-day or full-day course.
- Opportunity to speak and practise infront of a real audience, rather than a single person.
- Ability to practise, develop and learn alongside a people at a similar level.
- Able to face your fears and expand your comfort-zone in a short period on time.
Public Speaking Coaching
- Longer-term training usually over 2-6 months, allowing you to develop much further.
- Personalized training from a coach who understands your background, goals and industry.
- Ability to set objectives, track progress, and develop core skills over a period of time.
- Expert guidance and support in the run-up to a ‘real life’ speech, pitch or presentation.
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The timing, duration and learning style.
Dates and times are often a key factor to which option is most viable.
If you have an impending speech or presentation to deliver, you may not be able to wait for a public speaking course on a set date.
In which case, it may be better to book in 1-2-1 coaching, which can be scheduled around your availability.
This allows you to quickly get started, and make sure you’re 100% prepared for the speaking opportunity when it comes.
Another consideration is how you like to learn.
Some people prefer to jump in with both feet, and spend an entire day immersing themselves in learning a new skill. If you’re looking to overcome a fear of speaking, or make a step-change in your confidence, this can lend itself to attending a group public speaking course.
However, if you’re someone who prefers to learn over a longer period, coaching allows you more time and flexibility to train at your own pace. With sessions often taking place every week or fortnight, the training can be broken up and learned step by step.
The cost of a public speaking course vs coaching.
For many people, the price of the training will be a deciding factor.
There are many cheaper options to begin improving your public speaking, from reading books on the subject, to podcasts and even video courses.
But if you want to make a permanent change in your communication skills, the best option is always practical training with an expert public speaking coach.
Here’s a breakdown of some common training prices – please note these are based on industry averages, and not our own prices.
Public Speaking training options by average price:
- Podcasts, articles and online videos: Free
- Pre-recorded Video Courses: £10-150.
- Virtual Coaching: £150-200 per session.
- Group Training: £300-600 per person.
- Personal Coaching: £200-400 per session.
This can be down to the location of the training, the expertise of the trainer, and the length of the course or coaching package.
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Finding the right person to work with.
A quick Google will result in hundreds of options for public speaking courses, coaching and online video training.
Before making a choice, it’s a good idea to research the market and find the best fit. You’ll want to know about the trainers credentials and experience, as well as the actual content they cover in their training.
Public Speaking can be a vague term that covers many things; there’s a whole host of different speaking styles, some of which may or may not be relevant to your needs.
Any public speaking trainer worth their salt should be happy to have chat about their services with you, before agreeing to work together.
Before booking onto a course or coaching, we recommend asking the following questions:
- What does the public speaking course or coaching cover?
- What is the trainers own experience and background in public speaking?
- Which option in their opinion is the best fit for your requirements?
- In what way will they specifically help you?
- What have previous clients said about their training?
Training options from Project Charisma.
If you’re a beginner/intermediate speaker, or struggling with anxiety and fears, I’d highly recommend our flagship public speaking course: the ‘Speak & Present 1-Day Masterclass’.